At The Beginning
by Low Entropy
Summary: "I'm Derek, George's son. My hand is out in front of you by the way."   Casey slowly extended her right hand out above the table. Within a few seconds, Derek moved his hand into hers and shook her small thin one.  "Casey,"  -Prequel to Through Your Eyes
1. Chapter 1

**Just for fun…enjoy :)**

**Not meant to offend, I apologize if I do.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek**

**ooo**

The tea resting in her left hand was cold. She ordered it that way; iced milk tea with tapioca. The straw big enough for the chewy roots to travel through. Yet if she had a choice, she would have picked something hot and nerve calming. But hot drinks were something she never bought in public. She was blind and had a hard time lifting cups up to her mouth without spilling it all over her lap. Add burning temperatures into the equation and she was in for a big embarrassment. So she ordered an iced tea (which luckily came with a big straw) as she sat quietly in the metal chair. The woman across from her shuffled in her seat, sucking whatever drink she bought with such force that it made a slurping noise.

"Mom! Please stop doing that, it doesn't exactly sound very appetizing," the blind young woman shifted her sunglasses higher on her nose as she regarded her fidgeting mother.

"I'm sorry Casey, it's just that meeting George's son for the first time is a little intimidating," her mother sighed as she folded her arms on the table, short dark locks framing her face.

"I thought you already met him," Casey questioned, a perfect arched brow rising up from behind her shades.

"Yes and I meant for you," the older woman replied as she checked her watch then turned her head to look out the giant window to her right.

Her daughter made no attempt to reply, merely keeping her features in an emotionless expression that only her mother could decipher. With a sigh, the short-haired woman answered her daughter's unasked question.

"I know you Casey and even if I met him a few times, I get Derek. He's like you, except different. Either you'll like him or you'll want to kill him," she finished, glancing at her watch again before taking the cap off her drink and popping an ice cube into her mouth. Chewing on her fingernails was a habit she was trying to get rid of, especially after meeting George.

"Mom you make it seem like I'm a pet cat. You want to test our behavior before you commit to a relationship with George?" Casey asked, scooting closer to the table. Within the last month, she knew that her mother was serious about this guy she was dating. Her mother had already met his kids and Lizzie, her younger sister, had visited the Venturis about a week ago. It was becoming a regular thing that Casey started to believe her mother was moving in.

The question was for tease of course, but the delayed reply from her mother was making her think otherwise. Something was up and Casey took her mother's behavior into consideration.

However, her mother was not paying attention at the moment for she was too busy rummaging through her purse to notice her daughter's reply.

"Oh crap. Casey, honey, I forgot my phone in the car. I'll be back in a few minutes," with that, the older woman stood from her seat and extended a hand out to squeeze her daughter's shoulder in reassurance.

In a matter of seconds her mother was weaving through tables and out the door. Casey, who shifted her head a bit towards the spot her mother had occupied no more than five seconds ago, shook her head slightly before guiding the straw of her drink to her mouth with her pointer finger and took a giant sip. She repeated this move for a few more minutes before she heard someone sit across from her. Straightening up in her seat, Casey furrowed her brows in confusion. Her mother couldn't be back that fast could she? They had parked a few buildings down due to the crowed theatre transversely to the café. And even if she did, she would have said something.

Opening her mouth, Casey politely acknowledged the person currently before her.

"Excuse me but that seat is taken," she stated, features still twisted in bewilderment.

"Yeah. I know. I'm sitting in it," came the reply. The voice was deep, not like her father's but like it belonged to a teenage boy.

Casey didn't expect that kind of response and she had to blink a few times behind her sunglasses before she took a breath to speak.

"Listen kid, I'm visually disabled in case you haven't noticed and that seat your butt is currently resting on is for my guide. So can you please, for the sake of blindness, move to another table?" she practically hissed, hand clutching tighter onto the condensating plastic cup. Casey could be bitchy when she needed to and rudeness was something she wouldn't tolerate.

It was quiet for a moment before the boy in front of her burst into a fit of laughter. She didn't know what to make of it. On one note, she kind of liked his laugh, making the corners of her mouth slightly twitch up. But on the other, she felt that it was a bit rude to laugh at a blind person. Before she could retaliate, the boy verbalized a reply.

"I'm Derek, George's son. My hand is out in front of you by the way," he said, tone threatening to convert into giggles at any moment.

Casey did nothing for a few seconds as she took in his statement. This was Derek? No wonder her mother was jittery; the kid was witty and like no one she ever met.

Waking up from the initial shock, Casey slowly extended her right hand out above the table. Within a few seconds, Derek moved his hand into hers and shook her small thin one.

"Casey,"

* * *

><p>"You better behave yourself,"<p>

"Yeah sure,"

"I mean it Derek,"

"Ok I get it,"

"This is important to me and if you could do this one thing Derek, I'd appreciate it,"

"Dad please stop talking,"

The car drive to the café was non-stop 'behave' this and 'it's important' that. The teen sitting in the passenger seat was seriously considering falling asleep against the window if his father didn't shut up anytime soon. What was so great about Nora's daughter anyway? So she was blind, so what. The girl could still function and as far as he was concerned, that was a good enough reason to not change his behavior for the sake of her disability. It's not like he was going to make fun of her because she couldn't see. When Nora first told them that she had two daughters and one of them was blind, Derek's first though was 'that sucks'. Ok so he could have said it more graciously, but he did mean it. And he will not admit it to anyone but he actually stayed up till three o'clock pondering on this blind Casey girl. What did she look like? How does she get around? What color are her eyes? And what kind of pranks should I pull? Hands tucked behind his head, Derek pictured all sorts of scenarios with Casey and prank pulling.

In the back of his mind, however, way into the corners where he stores his feelings and reasoning, there was a part that warned him of the dangers Casey would bring. The emotional ones. He doesn't know what she looks like yet but if she was attractive in any way, he was in for it. Because Derek is a sucker for pretty girls and daughter of dad's girlfriend of not, he might actually like her.

It was something he should take into consideration, something he should plan on just in case. But he ignored it like he usually does with any rational thought, focusing more on the pranks and his alpha title.

"Derek!" his father pulled him out of his thoughts only to find out that they had arrived.

"Huh?" he replied, turning to face his father who mumbled something about a theatre and crowds.

"I'm going to try and look for parking. Why don't you get off and find them in the café," his father finished, turning into the side street adjacent to the building before stopping the car.

"Behave Derek!" George exclaimed as his son shifted out of the beat up vehicle. Derek leaned down to face his father giving him a curious look, before slamming the door shut and walking around the building to its entrance.

The café was not as crowded as it's been before, due to the fact that most of the population was in the theatre. But it was full enough to hear the buzzing of conversations once you've entered the glass doors.

The shaggy haired teenaged boy scanned the area for hot chicks and Nora. He spotted a few people from school and some girls he has dated in the past, but no sign of the shorthaired girlfriend of his father.

Just as he was about to make his way to a slim blonde towards the right side of the café, Derek saw her. She was sitting at a small iron twisted table, sucking on the straw of a light brown liquid. The sunglasses had caught his attention; big roundish black ones that shouldn't be worn inside. They were a dead give away and despite the shades, her posture was somewhat different. She was straight, arms and legs tucked in as if she were afraid to touch anyone. Something he's seen Nora do all the time and Lizzie when he met her. He, at first, thought it was what ladies like Nora did; sit with perfect posture. But when his younger brother Edwin looked up the weird seating position, he found out that some family members sit that way to avoid accidents with their blind relative(s). It also goes for the visually disabled; they will sit close to parallelism to avoid trips or falls with others. And the way the girl was seated with her elbows close to her center, knees and angles glued together between the iron stumps, Derek knew that she was Casey. Because as far as he knows, girls do not sit like that in public, they cross their legs or lean incredibly close to their male partner.

Even if she was alone, the mere fact that her head did not turn or follow those who past by gave the evidence he needed.

Derek had carefully observed this Casey character from afar and he suddenly realized that she was a _girl_. The big sunglasses hid the majority of her face and covered the most important feature, but the brown locks falling over her shoulders and the straight bangs ending just below the brow line framed her face pretty well.

With a smirk, Derek stepped forward and sat in the seat opposite of the blind brunette with such skill that he didn't think she would hear him. But she did, shifting her head in his direction with a questionable expression that he could faintly detect hidden behind the black shades.

"Excuse me but that seat is taken," she stated in a sweet polite tone that would have had him vomiting if it weren't for his current situation. The girl has some odd facial expressions that intrigued more than sickened.

"Yeah. I know. I'm sitting in it," Derek replied, smirk widening as he watched her mouth dip into a frown. _This is interesting…_

"Listen kid, I'm visually disabled in case you haven't noticed and that seat your butt is currently resting on is for my guide. So can you please, for the sake of blindness, move to another table?" the brunette snapped, her angelic polite voice turning into a growl. The record scratch persona she suddenly took left Derek in a state of shock. She definitely was not like all the girls he's encountered. But he couldn't help but think it was because she could not see him, therefore not be entranced by his quote 'dashing good looks'.

And the movements her face made were fascinating, not in the sense that it was funny but it was how well she could express herself through them. Derek couldn't contain the hilarity of the moment and burst into a fit of laughter.

"I'm Derek, George's son. My hand is out in front of you by the way," he replied as he extended a hand, forcing back the need to giggle. He watched her sit there as she pondered the situation. Again, the expression on her face was a sight he would never get tired of inspecting. It was then that he suddenly wondered what her eyes looked like.

Derek was pulled out of his trance when he saw her hand come out and level itself a few inches away from his opened one. Moving his hand into hers, Derek shook the thin but warm hand of the blind girl before him.

"Casey," she said, finally giving him her name.

"Yeah. I know," he simply replied as he let go of her hand and let his drop to the side where it unconsciously slipped into the pocket of his jeans. Derek leaned back against the chair as he watched Casey shift her head in question to his remark.

"How is that? I only met you just now," she said, folding her arms over each other on the marble table. She hoped that her mother did not show him or any of his family members a picture of her brace faced self.

Derek, unsure if he should explain how he recognized her, cleared his throat before he replied.

" Not that many people are blind in this town, so a girl with big shades in a dim lit area is a dead giveaway," he said, taping the side of her sunglasses with his pointer finger for emphasis. Casey slightly flinched at his action, never having someone invade her personal space before. Who the hell did he think he was?

" And you let me tell you off without informing me who you were?" She disputed as her right eyebrow appeared above the rim of her sunglasses. The corners of Derek's mouth twitched while he watched her face closely and speculated what she'd look like without the plastic eyewear.

Sitting up from his leaning position on the chair, Derek bend slightly over the table, hands still in his pockets, and regarded the brunette.

" Uh yeah, it was hilarious. You actually change personalities when you're annoyed," he explained like it was a scientific observation he just concluded. Casey, however, did not find this remark amusing. With a turn of her head, she sighed irritably and spoke.

"If you're making fun of me Venturi, then I have no problem sticking my foot up your ass. I may be blind, but I do not tolerate disrespect to my disability. Got it?" she finished, pitching herself back to lean against the chair, arms still crossed in discontent. Her mother was right; she would either like him, which was not a possibility anymore, or want to kill him, which was something she might consider.

Derek didn't mind the threat Casey made. He found it very interesting that she would actually try to intimidate him in her condition. She had wit and was sharp of the tongue despite the lack of sight. And she probably would go through with her warning.

"Ah! You did it again! The ugly side of Casey, McDonald was it, shows her face," Derek exclaimed, straightening up in his seat before leaning over the table again to continue. "And for the record, if I did make fun of you, you'd be crying. I don't laugh at other people's defects," he said in a lower tone as his eyes scanned the lens of her sunglasses before tipping back to lean against the chair again.

Casey, after deciding that throwing her drink at him was a bad idea on both their parts, slightly tucked her chin so that the arch of her brows presented themselves above her dark sunglasses. The corners of her mouth were being chewed on in an attempt to not scream and the slow movements she made to lean her elbows on the table illustrated her frustration. In other words, as any bystander would put it, Derek had pissed her off.

"Defect? You may not be laughing at me, but labeling me as damaged is demeaning. And I wouldn't cry in front of you."

With that, Casey braced her hands on the arm of the metal chair and hoisted herself up to stand. Derek's eyes followed her movements and just as she was about to turn, he shot a hand out across the table to take a hold of her upper arm. He didn't think he could irritate Casey so much that she would actually get up and attempt to leave without help.

"Sit down McDonald, you're not going to get anywhere without someone to guide you," he said as he steered her back into her chair and ignored her protests to 'not touch her'. But she did stay seated and regarded the annoying boy in front of her.

"What is your problem!" Casey practically shouted as she stumbled into her seat and adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. The scowl on her face did not go unnoticed and a few people started to stare. Derek had her full attention now and he was starting to believe that maybe that wasn't such a good idea in a public place.

Pushing his thoughts aside, the shaggy haired boy smirked at the girl in front of him and leaned in closer.

"I don't have a problem. It's you who's twisting my words around," Derek paused to look at her features, which remained in a glare. "You're not a defect Casey, you're just blind like all the other millions out there who can't see."

Both teens were silent as they faced each other. Casey's glowering features had softened a bit as Derek's eyes scanned the lens of her shades, a faint smirk on his lips. Nothing was said between them and as their respective parent walked in and pulled up a chair to sit, the tension was pushed aside.

"So how did it go?" Nora bluntly asked as she scooted onto her seat next to her daughter. She and George had been anxiously anticipating the meet of their two oldest children and as they both waited in George's car for a few long minutes, she couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the café. So when both adults walked into the small coffee shop and saw the two staring at each other, she blurted out the first thing that was in her mind.

Casey did not move her head to acknowledge her mother, but instead kept her face towards the boy in front of her and answered the short-haired woman.

"You were right mom," she stated, causing two pairs of eyes (the third already on her) to flick in her direction.

"On what Casey?" Nora gazed at her daughter in confusion as she leaned her elbows on the table.

"What you said in the car. You were right," the brunette explained, her head still in Derek's direction who had not moved since his father walked in and patted him on the shoulder.

"Oh, right," Nora shifted her head and turned her eyes to the teenaged boy on her right. The older woman was unsure of what her daughter actually meant and at this point she was just glad that no one came out with an injury.

And in Casey's mind, she couldn't figure out which one she favored more: did she like this Derek character who treated her like a normal person? Not once did he ask if she needed assistance, something she had always gotten in public and the feminist inside her despised. He treated her like she was a person _with_ a disability not a _disabled_ person.

Or did she want to kill him? His attitude and egocentric personality was on her last nerve and she did picture herself slapping him a few times in their conversation.

Casey's thoughts were cut short as Derek's father cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.

"Well anyway. I have some exciting news," George smiled at both teens as his hand reached over to Nora's thin one resting on her lap.

"I asked Nora to marry me and she said yes!" the blond man finished, slightly squeezing Nora's hand in excitement.

In an instant, Derek and Casey whipped their heads around (Casey a few decimeters off George's position) with surprised expressions.

"You what?" Derek finally spoke, slightly rubbing the side of his neck to ease the pain. Casey, who's mouth opened in an attempt to speak, sat up straight in her chair after failing to find something to say and instead settled for a cry of "Mom!" before gawking in her mother's direction.

" Listen Casey, I really like your mother and I'm getting old. Who would settle for me? Especially with three annoying kids?" George began, making sure to use _listen_ instead of _look._ " It's hard to find someone like Nora who will accept my life, let alone Derek, and agree to share hers."

George's speech had relaxed Casey's features and Derek could tell that his father's words were convincing the blind girl to favor the notion.  
>"Just one thing dad. Casey and I are comlepte opposites; as in we can't stand each other," Derek interrupted as he leaned his folded arms on the table. He was ready to fight this and like all other arguments in the past, he was sure he would win. But when his father shrugged, Derek knew something was wrong in the routine.<p>

" I can't make you like each other, not all families are like that. Besides, I told Marti she might have older sisters soon and she started cleaning to make room for them," George replied and continued to beam at the woman next to him. Derek, on the other hand, didn't know what to say. He loved his little sister, but why the hell did she have to adore Casey. When it comes to Marti, everything is set in stone and there was really no point in trying to change her mind.

Derek knew one thing was for sure, Casey McDonald would never be out of his life and, with great difficulty to believe, she wouldn't be out of his mind either.

**Ooo**

**Chapter one of two done! Yay!**

**Ok just a note, this isn't a story. Just pre-shots of Through Your Eyes of the first two meets Casey has with Derek. Hope I'm not milking the story, but I mainly did it to keep practicing since plot bunnies seem to avoid my idea box. Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll try to update as soon as I can!**


	2. I'm Sorry! Author Note

I'm Sorry!

I know I haven't updated in like FOREVER but I recently got a job(yay!) and with classes it's hard to find the time! Excuses, I know, but I have to prioritize.

Anyway! I just finished my finals! So now I have time to update the last chapter of At The Beginning (ZenNoMai: Sorry! Don't worry I'll have it up soon!)

I have yet to actually finish the chap. but now that I have time to sit and think, it should be up soon :) maybe my Christmas gift to you guys for waiting..?

So I have an idea for a new story and I don't know if anyone has done it before but I'm going to attempt it anyway. I won't tell you the idea...yet e.e but once I get the first chapter up, I'll explain it a little more :)

Thanks for putting up with my absence! I'll update soon!

Low Entropy


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok I'm sorry! I should have updated sooner but I felt that I would be rushing it. This took a while to come out and hopefully it's decent enough to post. it probably most likely has spelling errors so I'll fix them later! which reminds me, I might be cleaning up grammatical errors in Through Your Eyes so I don't know if it considers it an 'update' but it's just me fixing mistakes...anyway hope everyone had happy holidays and have a great New Year! Enjoy the final chapter! **

**Disclaimer: My new year's resolution: Obtain the damn contract!**

** ooo**

" This is stupid,"

" Tell that to dad,"

"Dad knows it's stupid, but he's too strung up on pleasing Nora that he won't say anything,"

" He's too strung up on _Nora_,"

" Don't be a smart-ass,"

"Better than being a dumb-ass,"

Derek narrowed his eyes at his younger brother before making a move to grab at the ebony haired boy's head. The kid ducked away from his brother's attack with such animation that his limbs seemed to be that of a rag doll. After seating himself safely away from Derek, the younger Venturi grinned at his accomplishment only to drop the excitement at the entrance of his father.

" Almost time, boys. We'll wait a few more minutes before we get started," George seemed to be on a roll as he briskly walked to the mirror on the opposite wall of the room to fix his tie. Stopping in front of his reflection, the blond haired man inspected himself thoroughly before running his hands through his hair.

He was nervous, and the two pairs of eyes that belonged to his sons were not helping the matter. It was just a rehearsal dinner. But it was the idea behind it. He was getting married, in less than two months. Pretty soon he'd be living with his wife, her two beautiful girls, and his three demons. And maybe that's what made him so nervous. The fact that the two oldest would be under the same roof and were complete opposites made things complicated.

While flipping through channels the other night, George had come across a program that had fit perfectly with Casey and Derek. He had subconsciously related scientific facts about the universe to the two teens that would be stepsiblings in a few weeks: Matter and anti-matter. One was everything that was and one was everything that wasn't. Now that he thought about it, George was just glad he didn't watch the National Geographic's channel otherwise he'd have a hard time looking at those two without picturing a lion gnawing on the back of a zebra.

" Where the hell's your sister?" George suddenly asked, realizing that the smallest child was not present.

" I'm right here!" the youngest Venturi assured her father from under the skirted table with a wave of her small hand. George turned on the spot and squinted his eyes at the limb retreating back into the cave of the table.

" Marti? Sweetheart what are you doing under there?" the blond man asked as he continued to fix his tie. After the third try, he decided that it was no use and would have to wait till Nora arrived to do it for him. That was the last time he spent time watching how-to You tube videos.

" I'm playing Barbies daddy," the little girl stated from behind the curtain, adjusting the frilly dress of her plastic doll.

" Barbie is getting married, to Sir Monks-A-Lot," she finished in excitement before continuing to voice the blonde doll in her hand.

George took a moment to process the thought as he stared at the curtained table before turning to his two sons seated on the worn leather couch.

" Should I be worried?" he asked in concern, eyebrows knitted together in question.

" Isn't that what girls do?" Edwin offered as an explanation as his older brother a few meters away smirked. George blinked in contemplation before slightly shaking his head.

" Yeah, guess I'm just not used to it," he excused the thought and continued to fiddle with his hair.

After a few seconds of silence, there was a knock on the door before a head popped in.

" Is everyone decent in here?" the head asked, eyes shut just in case.

" No,"

" Yes!" George countered his eldest son's reply as he sent a warning glair to the teen.

Lizzie, Nora's youngest, appeared at the door and George stops his fumbling as soon as he sees the girl.

" Oh God Nora's here," he breathes as he begins to pace the floor. Lizzie and the rest of the Venturis watch his nervous dancing before one decides to speak.

" Clam down George, it's just the rehearsal dinner. Casey and my mom are in the other room getting stuff ready," Lizzie finally said, assuring her future stepfather that all was fine.

There was a rustling of fabric as the smallest Venturi wrestled the curtains of the table and bolted for the door in excitement.

" Casey!" the little girl yelled as she pushed past her father and around the other McDonald, the latter mumbling a 'hello to you too.'

The first time Marti met Nora's oldest was a few days before Derek met her. It was a brief meeting but after the encounter, his youngest sibling contacted Casey for hours on the phone. And Derek could tell by the way Marti was acting and raving about her new cool sister, that his little sister adored Casey.

It wasn't just the blindness thing, Marti had seen past that. Of course there were questions and curiosity, but Marti had been more into the fact of a new sibling who knew how to dance. Derek could tell that Marti was fascinated by the blind girl's ability to move gracefully like they do in her ballerina movies she forces him watch with her. He was actually grateful that she now had some female influences in her life. And he had Nora to thank for that.

" I'll go get her," Derek announced to his anxious father who had yet to notice what was going on around him.

Lizzie had gravitated towards Edwin, who was glad for the McDonald's arrival. Now he had someone to hangout with that wouldn't what to beat the crap out of him every few minutes.

As Derek entered the dark wooded hallway, he had to stop abruptly as to not collide with the small woman before him. He took a step back and regarded the shorthaired woman.

" Nora! What are you doing here?" Derek flicked his eyes over his soon to be stepmother in search for the other McDonald before coming back to Nora's face. The ebony haired woman blinked a few times, thankful that her fiancé's son did not trample her, before she replied.

" Rehearsal dinner, Derek. I'm marrying your father," she reminded with a smirk. The boy in front of her grinned broadly as he shifted his weight to the other leg.

" Not too late to cancel. You can still run Nora," he offered as he stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. The short woman smirked and rolled her eyes as she whacked his arm with her small clutch purse.

Derek lifted his shoulders in a weak attempt to shield himself. He chuckled at his future stepmother's actions as he moved around her. Nora herself, shifted closer to the door he had come out of and regarded the oldest Venturi before entering.

" Nice try, but it's going to take a lot for you to get rid of me," she retorted with a smile as she subconsciously reached out to fix the collar of his shirt and brush the hair out of his eyes. Derek gave her an incredulous look as if to say 'you're kidding right?', his right brow ascending in the process.

" Have you met me?" he questioned, dodging the thumb that he saw her lick to rub his cheek. He didn't mind the brushing of the hair, but when it came to spit and cleaning faces, he swatted them away like flies. Nora huffs lightly, but gets the hint and drops her hand to smooth out her dress.

" Yes Derek, I have," she states, eyes concentrated on the fabric of her outfit. With that, the shorthaired woman looked up, patted the teen's cheek and entered the 'groom's room'. He could hear his father sputter out sentences that probably didn't make sense and Nora's voice narrowing in on his undone tie. It wasn't until his future stepmother was gone that Derek muttered a response.

" You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into," he sighed and slightly shook his head before heading out to find his little sister.

It wasn't till he was standing in front of the 'Bride's' door that Derek realized he was straightening up his appearance. He wasn't sure if it was because Nora had tampered with his look or if it had something to do with the girl in the other room. But the more he thought about it, the more he recognized how stupid it was. Casey, for one, could not see so therefore why the hell would he clean up? And it was always a habit of his to run his fingers through his messy-but-perfect hair.

Derek could hear Marti on the other side, telling a very animated story with such speed that he was positive Casey had a hard time understanding. With that, the teen opened the door to see his sister jumping on the spot as her small arms waved above her head. Casey, he saw, was too busy concentrating on Marti that she had not noticed Derek's entrance. But Derek did notice her.

It wasn't an attraction like he has to most girls in the same room as him. It was the fact that a huge pair of sunglasses weren't covering Casey's face. The last few times he saw her, she was wearing the shades, and now that she wasn't, his curiosity got the better of him.

" Smerek!"

With a bounce and a grin, Marti ran to her idol before jumping up to him as Derek reached down to pick her up and set her on his hip.

" There you are! I have been looking for you everywhere worrying that some crazy psycho tried to steal you!" Derek bounced the youngest Venturi with every syllable of his last four words. The little girl giggled, arms around his neck, before replying.

" I was with Casey this whole time!" she excused, smiling at her brother as he studied her small face.

" Exactly!" Derek exclaimed with a nod of his head. He heard a scoff off to his left and turned to see Casey fold her arms across her chest.

" Always the jerk," she muttered with a lift of her right brow. _Oh the faces this girl could make!_ Derek thought.

In that instant, Derek had finally got to see Casey's eyes. They were blue. Not only that but they were pupil-less, the perfect round black dot replaced with a milky blue-green iris. He honestly didn't know why the thought came into his head, because Derek wasn't into cosmic space and galactic travel as a kid. But when Casey's green-blue pupil less eyes came into view, he suddenly felt like he was staring at two planets in an astronomical outlook. It was alluring, those cerulean globes, like everything was black around him but the two eyes he was focusing on.

Derek took a few moments to ogle at those blue orbs before he realized that said eyes were not exactly positioned on his. Now, he had understood that the blind have no control on where their eyes may fixate themselves, but he never actually encountered anyone who was visually impaired before. And as Casey continued to speak, her eyes were past the left side of his head.

She wasn't seeing anything. Like she was daydreaming and talking at the same time. And as soon as she finished her speech, it took Derek a while to understand that she was waiting for a response. It freaked him out a bit because all the people he had talked to would signal with their eyes that it was his turn to speak. It was a subconscious agreement that everyone seemed to do. But with Casey, her eyes didn't give signs or have the ability to 'speak'.

If Derek were as clueless as his teachers set him out to be, he would have turned to see if she was actually talking to someone else. But he knew better than that, so with a short pause of confusion, Derek answered Casey.

" Did you say something?" really, he had no idea what she had said and he was thankful (yes, I know, shocking} that his wit was so common that anything he said would be thought done for either reason or sarcasm. He assumed that the grunt Casey produced was because of the latter.

" Yes I did. I asked if you've seen my mother. She left the room mumbling something as soon as Marti came in," the blind teen stretched out an arm in search of a seat. Derek watched her in fascination as her hands waved, fingers spread, to make contact with furniture. He would have watched till she found her destination, if Marti had not screamed in his ear to 'help her Derek!'. With a rub to his possibly ruptured eardrum, the oldest Venturi took a hold of Casey's outstretched arm and quickly guided her to the small sofa behind her.

" She's with my dad. They're probably making arrangements with the manager or something," Derek sighed in exhaustion as he plopped down next to the brunette, his little sister scrambling off his lap to better seat herself between the two teens. He leans his head back against the couch and crosses his arms in an effort to relax yet still maintain his 'cool' appearance. With the closing of his eyes, Derek spoke again.

" Of course none of this would be happening if you'd kept your mouth shut," he raised a brow with his last words, adjusting his neck to better form the bridge of the cushions. Casey shifted her own head a bit towards his direction, eyes off to the wall adjacent to her future stepbrother.

" Oh I'm sorry for suggesting a wedding! How silly of me to think that that's what normal people do!" the blind teen retorted, sarcasm dripping from each word she spoke. Derek rolled his head in her direction and lazily opened his eyes. The little girl between them turned her head from eldest to eldest as they bickered.

The sight of Casey staring off at nothing still did not fit in Derek's comfort. He had to refrain himself form asking what she was looking at or what she was thinking. Flicking his eyes to her forehead, the shaggy haired teen smirked and replied.

"Normal? In case you haven't noticed McDonald, this whole family isn't normal so why the hell would we start with a wedding?" he moved his focus to her blue orbs for a bit before repositioning it to the curve of her eyebrows. It was one thing to know about someone's blindness but it was another to talk to him or her without being freaked out by his or her lack of awareness.

Derek shifted his gaze to Casey's mouth as it opened to bark out at a rebuttal, but before she could voice out a reply, the little girl sandwiched between them interrupted the dispute.

"Will you guys stop fighting? Seriously you're like an old married couple!" Marti practically yelled, arms out in annoyance before wiggling off the couch to climb the purple chair she had been eyeing. She had a new addiction of climbing things, especially if these objects were in her favorite color.

The proclamation made both teens halt in place to focus on the young Venturi. She was just a little girl, no older than six. But her words were so advanced that it made her sound mature. Marti must have heard that statement form somewhere, probably a movie or TV show. It was just how she used it that created the silence.

Derek awkwardly scratched his cheek as Casey cleared her throat and better adjusted herself against the cushions. For a six year old, Marti sure knew how to shut people up. It was only quiet for a few seconds before Casey changed the subject.

"Marti, remember when I said I wanted to see you? Do you think now's a good time to try?" the brunette leaned forward on her elbows as she rested her chin on her left palm. The pupil less eyes regarded some focal point passed the wooden door beside the little girl.

Marti nodded her head as a wide smile appeared on her small face. She had always wanted to know how Casey 'saw' someone. When her father tried to explain it to her, she couldn't picture it. And her imagination was wild; conjuring up places and ideas was no problem, but this was something entirely new that didn't make sense to a little girl. How could someone 'see' with their hands? Wasn't touch and sight two different things? Whatever it was, Marti wanted to find out and when the opportunity came up, she bolted to the blind young woman seated next to her brother.

"Ok I'm ready. How does this work?" she asked as she animatedly bounced on the balls of her feet.

Casey chuckled slightly at the girl's question before reaching out to take a hold of her forearms.

"Just stand in front of me," the blind teen shifted Marti over so that the youngest Venturi was between Casey's legs. Her blue orbs had relocated to a spot past Marti's shoulder as Casey adjusted her seating. Sliding her hands up to the little girl's face, the blind brunette started to glide her fingers over Marti's features.

Derek, who had been watching the two the whole time, suddenly felt a wave of discomfort. He understood how Casey 'saw' someone; Nora had explained it to them a while back. But it was actually witnessing the act that got to him.

It was captivating the way her fingers moved, grazing over every feature on his little sister's face. Once Marti started to giggle, Derek wanted to leave room, make a dash for the door before they asked him what was wrong. But as soon as the thought came up, the door opened to reveal his brother and the youngest McDonald.

"What's going on?" Lizzie asked as she casually took a seat at the small table located in the center of the room. Edwin followed after her, taking the extra effort to prop his right leg onto an empty chair.

Derek didn't want to answer, he wasn't sure if his voice would betray his uneasiness. Lucky for him, he didn't have to because Casey spoke before anyone looked at him for a response.

"I'm seeing Marti, trying to picture what she looks like," the blind girl stated, smiling broadly as the little girl in front of her erupted into another fit of giggles.

"You should try it Edwin! It tickles!" Marti exclaimed, closing her eyes as Casey's fingers ran over them.

She was immobile for almost two minutes; God knows how much strength it takes to get her to sit still and here she was unmoving. If Casey's fingers could make a hyper six-year-old stop bouncing, Derek thought, then what the hell would it do to him?

"Marti's right Edwin, I still don't know what you look like," Casey said, sliding her left hand to the tip of Marti's short hair as her unseeing eyes shifted closer to the younger two. "You mind if I see you?" she finished, grazing the little girl's ear. Marti giggled and hunched her shoulder from Casey's touch, only to straighten up again.

"Yeah I guess, we're going to live together anyway," was Edwin's reply, shrugging his shoulders slightly. It stood quiet for a few seconds before Casey spoke.

"You're a very beautiful girl Marti," Casey began, smiling as she lightly gripped the young Venturi's arms. " You must have all the little boys after you," she finished, making the little girl scrunch her nose and let out a squeaky 'ew!'.

Derek smirked at his sister's reaction, happy to know that she wasn't into boys as he was into girls. That stuff could wait a few more years. In his eyes (and of course his father's), Marti shouldn't date till she's married.

" Your turn Edwin," Lizzie whacked the lanky boy's feet off the chair next to her as she nodded over to Casey. The Venturi jolted forward to gain balance before shuffling out of his seat and over to the brunette on the couch.

Derek, who had made it a point to blend in with the sofa and pretend to be asleep, suddenly felt the agitation build up again. He had observed Casey 'see' his little sister, forever changing the way he viewed her hands.

They had power, the ability to calm and captivate people. It also did that to him, like it was his freaking kryptonite. And when she grazed her fingers across his brother's face, Derek had to look away only to flick his eyes back at the scene before him.

It was like watching someone paint, scrutinizing their hands elegantly move the brush across the canvas to create a picture. Instead it was her fingers that sought to 'see' a picture, not create one.

As if matters couldn't get any worse, Edwin's cheeks began to turn pink. And he was blushing for a good reason. Edwin was only four years younger than Derek and his connection to girls was minimal. So when a fourteen-year old blind girl is touching your face, you have every reason to be bashful.

Derek felt like scraping his fingers down the front of his face in frustration. It was beginning to torture him and he began to hate his little brother for letting his emotions show on that red face of his. If Derek were completely himself, he would have made fun of the pre-teen. But he did not want to call attention to himself, especially the attention of Casey. She'd probably want to see him too and there was no way in hell he was letting her hands touch him.

In that moment as he watched her fingers slide over every feature, Derek decided that he wasn't going to let Casey 'see' him, no matter how many times she asked. Because once he saw how she did it, fingers grazing and touching, he would fall into it. He knew he would let her hands burn his skin. Derek chose not to let Casey 'see' him because the moment she did, he would like it.


End file.
